Red
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: She never expected his words from when they first met to be so, so true... ZenxShirayuki :3


**This one focuses mainly on the symbolism of the color. There were just a few little things I noticed that connected with red that were significant. It's mellow and slow but still, hope you like it!~**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Akagami no Shirayukihime :(**

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Red

The Springtime sunlight that filtered into Shirayuki's room splashed golden rays onto her wooden floor and sent waves of nostalgia washing over her.

It still was not the same as seeing the Autumn sun's rays, but it was more vivid and colorful than the Winter's.

Presently, it had been nearly 2 and a half seasons since Shirayuki had come to Clarines, and she sat on the edge of her bed, staring out the window reminiscing on all that had happened since then.

She recalled her very first assessment as a pharmacist when she and Zen had been locked together in the room she had been taking her exam in, how she had discovered poison in the herb's channel and how he had helped her move each individual plant throughout the night until morning. She recalled when they had visited Raxd to help cure the epidemic there in the Winter, and when Zen had come to see her after she had jumped from the watch tower at the bird, Popo's assessment and when he had kissed her. She remembered visiting Eurekanna with her friends for a brief getaway and how they had eaten and laughed together.

She realized that everything, _everything¸_ she recalled somehow had to do with the prince.

But above all else, Shirayuki remembered not long ago when she had confessed her feelings to Zen and the second Prince of Clarines had gotten down on one knee and asked her to be by his side. She blushed as she momentarily relived the experience, tears of pure bliss and joy starting to form in the corners of her eyes as she remembered the longing look in his ice-blue eyes. They had been the eyes of someone who had been lonely his whole life and had been carefully searching for that one special person; they were also the eyes of the person who found her.

She clasped her hands together and she could almost still feel his palm under hers. It was still too good to be true and she frequently had to remind herself that it had in fact been real.

But whenever she saw Zen, she instantly knew that it had been reality when he had knelt down, laying his sword and his pride as the second Prince of Clarines as well as a man, down before her. He had truly trusted her with everything he had and she could not bear seeing him that way for more than a few seconds. As she had sat there looking down at him, Shirayuki knew she could no longer stand being on a different level from him and had dropped to her knees as well.

She snapped back into reality when she realized that she had slipped off her bed and fallen to her knees in real life as well as she had relived the best moment of her life. She slowly stood back to her feet and gazed out the window, breathing in deeply as a breeze floated in and tried to control her tears. She wiped the ones that escaped away before deciding to go out for an evening stroll.

Her feet unconsciously led her to the forest. More memories resurfaced as she passed the apple trees that she and Zen had visited together many times before; she often went there for the herbs that grew and he often went juts to relax. And so it had sort of became their own place to go to when they just needed some time away from everyone, yet somehow, when they met one another there, they did not mind as much.

Shirayuki walked at a leisurely pace for a while until she heard a rustling overhead and glanced up one of the trees.

"Zen!" she exclaimed as the prince jumped down from his branch and landed beside her.

"Hello, Shirayuki." He greeted with a grin.

The way that he looked at her now was different from what it used to be. The eyes of one looking at a close friend were now the eyes of one looking at something much, much more. His ice-blue irises met her emerald ones with the eyes of a lover and of the one other person in the world who wanted to truly, and deeply be with her for the rest of his life. Shirayuki was not sure if she was worthy of such eyes, but she returned his gaze with just as much affection, if not more, as a smile crossed her lips.

"It seems we both got the idea to come here and relax at the same time again, huh?"

"Yeah. Funny how we just manage to do that," he shrugged. "But it's not like it's a bad thing."

"Of course not." She agreed. "So then...would you like to accompany me on a stroll, Prince Zen?" The pharmacist gave a tiny bow.

"I'd be honored, young mistress." He returned the bow.

They walked through the orchard, just beginning to be reborn anew after the Winter's cold.

Shirayuki's feet unconsciously led her to the small, stone structure where he had told her that he often went to relax. It was also the place where he had asked for her hand.

She had not even realized exactly where her feet had brought her until she was already there. She came to a stop and Zen halted beside her.

An unnamable feeling overwhelmed her then; it was like a melancholic elation that made her just want to sit down for a while and stare off into the forest, not worrying about any of the thoughts that would have troubled her otherwise. This place was a sacred one to her now.

"Let's …stay here…for a little while." She murmured as though her mind was somewhere other than where her body was.

"Sure." Zen smiled.

They sat down on the small, granite wall, only about two feet off the ground. Shirayuki folded her hands in her lap and Zen leaned back on his, tilting his head slightly skyward.

The hours were getting late, and so there was no one else there, whereas during the day they would normally be horseback riding. There was no sound for a brief moment; no birdsong, no breezes, no crickets or bees. Zen and Shirayuki made sure to hold their breaths as the silence passed until finally, the rare moment had ended and the faint sounds of the forest came back to life.

The sunset casted gold and red light onto the forest floor, seeping into the grass like buckets of spilt paint on a jade canvas. Shirayuki stared at the ground for a moment, at the rays of the sun and the small flowers that were just beginning to pop up from the soil. Small, crimson petals stood out against the faint green moss underfoot. She smiled.

"Hey, Zen," she spoke up in a small voice, almost as though she were scared to break the peaceful silence. "What you said to me back then, when we first met, how red was the color of fate…I didn't believe it at first, but now…after all that's happened…" she trailed off with a sigh and Zen reached his arm across her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. She obediently leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Do you remember what else you said?" she asked quietly.

"Of course I do," he replied. "I remember every single detail about that day, because it was the first day I met you; the day you came into my life." She smiled and blushed a little. "I told you that, at the time, you might have thought that your red hair was troublesome."

"And I did," she put in. "But then you said it might connect me with something unexpectedly good. Which it did." She moved closer to him. "I can't help but think it was somehow connected to meeting you. I used to hate my hair because it always drew so much unwanted attention. I always stayed inside back in Tanburn. But after I met you, everything just turned around for the better. It really is the color of fate."

"I remember leaping that rock wall and crashing down on the other side because you had caught my eye." He laughed. "I'd never seen a runaway girl beneath any wall I'd ever jumped." He chuckled. "As soon as I saw your red hair, I flicked off your hood to confirm it. After that you healed me and…that's how it all began."

"And it wasn't just my hair that was red." She informed him. "We met back in Autumn and all the leaves were changing. When you leaped the wall, I remember that you stirred up the leaves, and that all of them were red as well. And the blood on your arm from your fall that encouraged me to heal you…And then after that, when Autumn was in full bloom, we snuck away into the orchard many times and went apple picking together. All those little things that brought us together…" she closed her eyes. "I'm truly grateful for every single one of them."

"As am I." He felt tears of pure joy, similar to those he had felt on the day they confessed their feelings. He recalled his conversation with Mitsuhide again, how he had wished to find the girl who would give him her reply from the bottom of her heart.

Overcome with those feelings of pure happiness, the feelings of waiting his whole life and then of finally, _finally_ finding her, he repeated his words from that day. "Thank you, Shirayuki." He wrapped his other arm around her shoulders and turned her body toward him. He held her there and she nestled into his chest as Zen too closed his eyes. He stroked her soft, apple-tinted hair and wound his fingers around the locks.

"I always hated it," she murmured. "But now, it's the best thing that's ever happened to me. If you hadn't noticed the color of my hair and taken interest in me that day, I never would have gotten to know you like this…or realize these feelings…" her voice began to hitch as she choked up on her words. "Thank you so much for finding me that day, Zen." She managed to finish her sentence before her voice died altogether and she succumbed to the hiccups and sobs that swelled up in her chest.

Zen let a few tears fall as well. "Then I guess," he said softly. "I should also thank that stupid Raji as well." He patted her back. "I mean, it still disgusts me when I think of what he wanted to do to you," his voice went into a slight growl for a second. "But his vulgar stupidity and heinous request was what made you leave Tanburn in the first place. So I guess that if it wasn't for him, you never would have been forced to come here. Still," he went on. "Even so, I'm sure I would have heard about the famous red-haired girl at one point or another and been curious enough to meet you. But Raji's actions just made you get here faster. So for that, I'm grateful."

He slowly released his grip on her and Shirayuki sniffed once but smiled up at him. The prince reached forward and brushed his finger against her cheek, catching the tears that fell there and clearing away the trails they had left behind.

"I-I'm…" Shirayuki attempted to speak, but her small sobs interrupted her and made her try again. "I'm just, _so _thankful. For everything that's happened to get us this far. Whether it was coincidence or fate or whatever else, even if it was just you who decided to jump over that wall that day…just…thank you…so much…"

This time, she hugged him, throwing her arms around his shoulders and breaking down all over again into the sobs she had just succeeded in suppressing.

Zen embraced her back and held her that way until the sun went down and the birdsong was replaced by the chirping of night crickets.

The moon hung in the sky in the shape of a plump cat's claw, sending down misty white light through the treetops to replace the red rays of the sun.

The couple broke apart quietly, then Zen placed his palm on her cheek and Shirayuki grasped his sleeve as the distance between them was closed.

They kissed under the moonlight until their lungs no longer allowed it.

Then Zen stood and offered her his hand.

Shirayuki squeezed his fingers as she got up beside him as they began to walk home through the apple orchards, the little red flowers in the ground swaying silently as the pair destined by fate walked on, hand-in-hand.

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**A/N: I hope you liked it :3 This was just a sweet little scenario I happened to come up with and I just wanted to write about what they might have been feeling :3**

**Please review!**


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